1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates in general to fence systems. More specifically, but without restriction to the particular use which is shown and described, this invention relates to an improved ornamental fence system incorporating pivotal pickets which are easily assembled to the rails.
2. Description of the Related Art
The manufacture and assembly of ornamental and security fence systems has been gradually improved upon in the prior art. However, there still remains a need for improved picket fence systems that are mountable on level grades or on inclines, where the pickets need to pivot relative to the rails. Moreover, there is always a need for picket fence systems that are easily installed with minimal parts and tooling. For example, Van Dorn, U.S. Pat. No. 189,543 discloses an early picket fence system having pickets which are installed through openings in the rails and then rotated 90 degrees to lock the picket to the rail. Leone, U.S. Pat. No. 5,150,885 teaches an improvement of the rotating and locking pickets disclosed in Van Dorn. Both of these fence systems, however, are rigid structures and thus are not desirable to install on inclines or non-level grades. Other fence systems are known that provide pickets which pivot relative to the rails. For instance, Attaway, U.S. Pat. No. 3,372,909, Horgan, U.S. Pat. No. 3,516,644, Sabel, U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,982, and Zen, U.S. Pat. No. 4,125,249 disclose pickets that are pivotal relative to the rails through the use of hinges and pins. These known picket fence systems, however, require significant tooling and are not readily and easily installed. Thus, there remains a need in the art for improved fence systems that are easier to assemble, result in greater flexibility in installation and are mountable on either level grades or inclines depending on the desired application.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to overcome the known disadvantages of existing picket fence systems. It is a further object to provide a picket fence system that is easily mountable on an incline or a level grade. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a picket fence system that may be easily installed with minimal tooling and parts.
Briefly, in summary, the present invention comprises a plurality of anchoring posts, a plurality of rails pivotally mounted to the plurality of posts, and a plurality of pickets pivotally mounted to the plurality of rails. To permit pivotal movement of the pickets relative to the rails, a unique grommet is used to mount the pickets to the rails. This unique grommet for fence systems comprises the snap-fitting of two C-shaped grommet pieces, each having a pivot pin, into a pair of opposing holes formed in the square tube pickets. The grommet, which defines a flange, a groove, and an anti-reverse lug, is then installed into an aperture formed in the rail. The picket is rotated 90 degrees with the top wall of the rail passing through the groove. The picket is locked in position via the flange and anti-reverse lug which prevent both vertical movement and reverse rotation of the picket. As installed, the grommet and accompanying rail are pivotally connected to the picket, thereby permitting pivotal movement of the picket relative to the rail. The assembly of the inventive picket fence system is accomplished with minimal, if any, tooling.
The full range of objects, aspects and advantages of the invention are only appreciated by a full reading of this specification and a full understanding of the invention. Therefore, to complete this specification, a detailed description of the invention and the preferred embodiment follows, after a brief description of the drawing.